Saturday, 3 August 2013 00:15
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Ananda College is not a school one would think of when it comes to English drama, but it has recently been gaining ground very quickly as a school that has taken its approach to the genre very seriously through Ananda Drama, its very own English drama company.
Founded this year to build on the work carried out by the Ananda College Drama Circle over the past seven years, its membership includes a mix of current students, as well as seniors, coaches and directors (all alumni). The objective of Ananda Drama, as explained by the co-directors of its newest production of ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ that went on the boards from 1 August, is to develop and promote its reputation in theatre, whilst concurrently improving the standard of English at the school.
Surprisingly, for a school with such a strong track record in sports and extracurricular activities, English drama at Ananda was dormant for many years after a brief flowering in the 1960s. With the establishment of the Drama Circle, students with a flair for drama were given a forum in which to showcase their talents. Starting with a small cast of just 13 in 2006, the circle has performed increasingly well at inter-school competitions over the years.
In 2010, its production of ‘The Tempest’ emerged 1st Runner Up at the Inter School Drama Competition organised by Cambridge University International Examinations, Trinity College London and Alethea International School. In 2011, its localised production of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ emerged 2nd Runner Up at the prestigious Inter School Shakespeare Drama Competition organised by the Colombo YMCA and the Rotary Club of Colombo North. In May this year, its original political satire ‘Alles in Wonderland’ won the 27th annual Royal Drama Competition, also bagging the People’s Choice Award and Award for Most Memorable Performance by an Actor.
‘Alles in Wonderland’ was an extremely popular production, and on 14 June 2013, it was staged for the public at the Kularatne Hall of Ananda College as Ananda Drama’s first-ever public show. Now however, Ananda Drama had its sights set on its first full-length public production, the stage adaptation by Stuart Paterson of Michael Morpugo’s bestselling book ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’.
The co-directors of the production are two old hands at school theatre.
Thushara Hettihamu (Hetti) has been involved in theatre in many capacities from production to acting to writing and direction. He is best known for his work with Royal College drama over the last decade or so. He has directed public productions of ‘Noises Off,’ ‘Jekyll and Hyde,’ ‘Government Inspector,’ ‘Othello’ and most recently ‘God of Carnage’ with Broken Leg Theatre company.
Nishantha de Silva is the founding director of Ananda Drama. He was instrumental in starting the Drama Circle of Ananda College in 2006 and has since guided its fortunes. This is his second public production, following Ananda Drama’s original political satire Alles in Wonderland in June this year.
The Weekend FT sat down with Hetti, to talk about the new show. Following are excerpts:
By David EbertQ: What made you pick ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’?
A: The primary consideration in selecting a play for the public production was that it had to provide a stiff challenge for all cast members and a fantastic learning experience. We wanted everyone to be pushed outside their comfort zone. The selection of a play that would be genuinely theatrical (as opposed to satire or comedy, which Ananda Drama has some experience in) was therefore vital.
We read through several plays before chancing on ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’. Nishantha (Ananda Drama’s founding director and co-director of this production) had read the book, and got down the adaptation from the UK. As soon as we read the play, it was clear that ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ fit all of our requirements.
Q: There is an opinion that ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ reads better as a book than as a stage adaptation? Do you believe the script has done justice to Morpugo’s book?
A: Adapting a book for the stage isn’t easy, and it’s pretty clear that Stuart Paterson, the adapter, has done a fabulous job in transferring the best elements of the novel onto the stage. All the important themes in the book are beautifully represented, and the characters just spring to life on stage.
Q: What do you think is the trick to a successful adaptation of a highly acclaimed piece of literature?
A: Probably the most important thing is to realise that each art form has its own codes and that the adaptation must stand up to scrutiny as a play as well as an adaptation. In this process, complete fidelity to the original source is impossible. Some sacrifices will have to be made. During the process of putting the play onto its feet, we did have to make a few creative directorial decisions to highlight and suppress a few elements while staying true to the script.
Q: The story has a very light hearted theme but also touches on loss and friendship. What do you believe is the message that theatregoers could take away with them after watching it?
A: We don’t really agree that the story has a very light hearted theme. Its themes such as family, friendship, loss, even the importance of conservatism, are quite deep. But the way in which they are represented is very subtle and easy to understand. The play provides 90 minutes of pure theatrical entertainment without getting bogged down by these serious themes, but the audience will definitely take a few messages home with them.
Q: Portraying an animal, as in this case Stella Artois the dog, and the numerous animals present in the tale, could be one of the more challenging roles for any stage actor. As a director, how would you prepare someone for a role like this?
A: The most vital thing is to cast the actors appropriately! General physical fitness is important. The ability to convey the emotional range of animals, all through physical expressions and vocalisations, is also critical. Fortunately in Eraj, Charith and Vidura, we have three actors who are extremely versatile and brilliant at physical acting. They did a lot of homework by watching animals at the zoo, watching documentaries about orang-utans, and in the case of Eraj, closely observing his pet dog. As directors, all we really had to do was to give them the freedom and the confidence to let their research inform their interpretations.
Q: Tell me about the cast and their specific roles.
A: Chirantha Kolonne, a post-O/L student, plays Michael while Nandun Dissanayake, a post-A/L student, plays Kensuke. Vidura Manoratne, a current O/L student, performs as Kikanbo. Sheshadri Kottearachchi, an invited guest performer (alumnus of Visakha Vidyalaya), plays Michael’s mother, Linda. Harshana Molligoda plays Michael’s father, Eraj Gunewardana plays the family dog Stella Artois, and Charith Dissanayake plays the role of Tomodachi. All three are alumni and are former Cast Leaders of the Ananda College Drama Circle. Sanjeewa Weerasinghe, an alumnus with a lot of acting experience, plays a cameo as Michael’s Grandmother. In addition, several current students led by Cast Leader Lithmal Jayawardana, perform as a live set for much of the production.
